United Kingdom: More than 850,000 women drivers admit to being under the influence of alcohol at least once in the last year
A study by the Office for National Statistics reported that nearly five per cent of women motorists drove while over the legal limit
By Josh Luckhurst
August 12, 2021
A study by the Office for National Statistics has revealed that nearly five per cent of women drivers have reported being at the wheel while over the legal alcohol limit at least once in the past year.
With 18.8 million female licence holders in the United Kingdom, that would mean 870,000 women motorists have admitted to driving under the influence.
One in five drink-drive accidents involve a female driver who is over the limit.
In 2018, there were 1,640 casualties on Britain’s roads caused by female drink drivers – including 20 deaths – the same figure as 1993.
It can take as long as 14 hours for the equivalent of four large glasses of wine to clear your system – making the work commute or school run a potential hazard.
In a poll conducted by breathalyser firm AlcoSense, over a third of women (36 per cent) think their ability to drive is only impaired if they are actually over the legal drink-drive limit.
But research has shown that you are 13 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if you are at the limit.
Even with 10mg per 100ml of alcohol in your blood (one eighth of the limit in England and Wales), it is 37% more likely than when completely sober.
Just a small amount of alcohol slows your reaction time, inhibits judgement and reduces both concentration and co-ordination – increasing the likelihood of an accident.
Hunter Abbott, MD of AlcoSense Laboratories, said: “Drivers should either abstain from alcohol completely if they are going to drive or test their alcohol level ‘the morning after the night before’ with a personal breathalyser such as the AlcoSense Excel, which features a smaller version of the same sensor used by several UK Police units for maximum accuracy.”